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Mike Vernon
| birth_place = Calgary, Alberta, Canada | draft = 56th overall | draft_year = 1981 | draft_team = Calgary Flames | career_start = 1982 | career_end = 2002 }} Mike Vernon (born Michael Vernon on February 24, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. For 19 seasons, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, and Detroit Red Wings. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion: with the Flames in 1989 and the Red Wings in 1997. Mike appeared in five NHL All-Star games, was named a second team All-Star in 1989, shared the William M. Jennings Trophy in 1996 and he was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs in 1997. He has won over 300 games in his NHL career. Playing Career Junior Playing Career Mike played his junior hockey in his hometown. First for the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 1979–80 and then the Calgary Wranglers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He appeared in 59 games in his first WHL season (1980–81) posting a 33–17–1 record before leading the team to the WHL finals where the Wranglers lost the best-of-seven championship to the Victoria Cougars, 4 games to 3. Mike attracted the attention of the Calgary Flames, who selected him with their third round pick (56th overall) at the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Mike returned to the Wranglers for the 1981–82 season where he posted a 22–14–3 record with three shutouts. He was named a WHL all-star at goal, and was the recipient of the Del Wilson Trophy as top goaltender and named WHL most valuable player. Even though the Wranglers were eliminated in the playoffs, junior rules of the time allowed the league champion to add an extra goaltender on loan for the Memorial Cup tournament. Mike accepted an invitation to join the Portland Winter Hawks for the 1982 tournament where the team finished fourth in the four team event. He made his professional debut following the tournament, appearing in one playoff game for the Central Hockey League's Oklahoma City Stars. Mike spent a third season with the Wranglers in 1982–83, however injuries during the season to Reggie Lemelin and Don Edwards forced the Flames to recall him to the NHL. He made his NHL debut on December 12, 1982, against the Detroit Red Wings. A poor effort by the Flames resulted in Mike surrendering six goals in the first two periods before being pulled in a 7–3 loss. He appeared in one additional game, also a loss, before returning to the WHL where he repeated as the league's top goaltender and most valuable player. He also played with the Canadian team at the 1982 World Junior Championship, winning two games in three appearances and helping Canada win the bronze medal. Mike joined the Winter Hawks for the 1983 Memorial Cup, but not without controversy. The WHL champion Lethbridge Broncos first requested Mike join their team for the tournament, but he was unwilling to play under the team's coach and refused. The Broncos were upset by his refusal, calling it "garbage" that he was allowed to join the rival Winter Hawks (who were hosting the tournament) after turning them down. Winning all three games he started, Mike led Portland to the championship. He was named recipient of the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the most valuable goaltender of the tournament while the Winter Hawks became the first American team to win the Memorial Cup. Calgary Flames Turning professional in 1982–83, Mike spent most of the season with the CHL's Colorado Flames where he was named to the league's second all-star team after posting a 30–13–2 record in 46 games. Mike returned to the Flames in 1983-84, but had a loss so he returned to the CHL. Considered at that point to be Calgary's goaltender of the future, he moved up to the Moncton Golden Flames of the American Hockey League (AHL) for 1984–85. The season was a disappointment for him as he struggled throughout the year. He won only 10 of 41 starts and posted a goals against average (GAA) of 3.94. Mike began the 1985–86 season as the fourth goaltender on the Flames' depth chart behind Lemelin, Marc D'Amour and Rick Kosti. He split the first half of the season between Moncton in the AHL and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the International Hockey League (IHL). In the midst of what was ultimately a franchise record losing streak, wishing to rest Lemelin and facing a minor injury to backup Marc D'Amour, the Flames brought Mike up to play an exhibition game against Soviet club Dynamo Moscow during the 1986 Super Series. He was outstanding in goal, leading the Flames to a 4–3 victory. Following a 9–1 loss to the Hartford Whalers that was Calgary's 11th consecutive defeat, Mike was given his first regular season start on January 9, 1986, against the Vancouver Canucks. He led the team to a 5–4 overtime victory to end the streak. It was also his first NHL win. Mike recorded his first career shutout, also against Vancouver, on February 26 in a 4–0 win during a stretch where he went two months without losing in which he started. Three of Mike's nine regular season wins came against the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary's first round opponent in the 1986 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Even though he had only 21-games of NHL experience, Vernon was named the starter for the series. He led the Flames to a three-game sweep of Winnipeg, followed by seven-game series victories over the Oilers and St. Louis Blues to lead the Flames into the Stanley Cup Final where the Flames ultimately fell to the Montreal Canadiens and their rookie goaltender Patrick Roy in 5 games. Mike solidified his position as the Flames' starting goaltender in 1986–87, finishing third in the NHL with 30 wins. His 39 wins the following season was second in the league, one behind Grant Fuhr. He played in the 1988 All-Star Game, his first of four consecutive appearances in the event, and helped the Flames win the Presidents Trophy as the top team in the regular season. The Flames were upset by the Oilers in the playoffs, however. The 1988–89 season was one of Mike's finest. He led all NHL goaltenders in wins with 37 and was second with a 2.65 GAA. He was named to the second All-Star Team and helped Calgary post the best record in the League. He finished second to Roy in voting for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. The Flames entered the 1989 playoffs as heavy favourites to defeat Vancouver in the opening round, but the Canucks forced Calgary to a seventh and deciding game in the series. The game went to overtime, during which Mike was forced to make a spectacular glove save on a Stan Smyl breakaway. That save came to be a defining moment of his career and was later called "the save that won the Cup". The Flames defeated Vancouver when Joel Otto scored the winner and then went on to defeat the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens to win Calgary's first Stanley Cup championship. Mike remained among the NHL leaders in wins the following seasons, finishing 6th in 1989–90 with 23 and 2nd in 1990–91 with 31. He was voted to the starting lineup for both the 1990 and 1991 All-Star Games via fan balloting. He served as the backup goaltender for Team Canada at the 1991 World Championship, and though he lost both games he appeared in, Mike and the Canadians won the silver medal. Despite his success with the Flames, Mike was often criticized for letting in weak goals, and was routinely booed by the fans in Calgary when he did so. Some fans chose to direct insults towards his family in the stands, causing his parents to stop attending games. Discussing his relationship with Flames fans later in his career, Mike remarked: "You've got to have a pretty thick skin to play goal. Fans at hockey games get very emotional. They're very passionate. They don't enjoy watching their team give up goals." Mike also battled through recurring back problems that occasionally forced him out of the lineup. Playing through it all, he became the 38th goaltender in league history to win 200 games, reaching the milestone on November 14, 1992, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mike played in his fifth All-Star Game in 1992–93 and was named to play his sixth the following season, but he had to withdraw from it due to a knee injury. After nearly 10 seasons with Mike as Calgary's starting goaltender, the Flames felt it was time to hand the starting goaltender duties to Trevor Kidd. On June 29, 1994, they traded Mike to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for defenceman Steve Chiasson. The Red Wings had been pursuing a deal for him since the previous season. Detroit Red Wings Detroit anticipated that the veteran Mike would help develop their young goaltender Chris Osgood. As Detroit's top goaltender in 1994–95, he posted a 19–6–4 record and helped the Red Wings win the Presidents Trophy as the top regular season team. The Red Wings reached the 1995 Stanley Cup Final (their first appearance in the championship series since 1966), but they were swept in four games by the New Jersey Devils. Mike and the Red Wings struggled to agree on a new contract following the season. Their dispute went to arbitration after he and his agent accepted an offer of a two-year, US$5.45 million contract that the team claimed to have withdrawn. The arbitrator sided with the Red Wings, making Mike an unrestricted free agent. The two sides ultimately agreed on a two-year contract, of which the financial terms were not released. While Osgood began to establish his position as the Red Wings' starter in 1995–96, Vernon won 21 games against only 7 regulation losses as the Red Wings set an NHL record with 62 victories in the regular season. Mike and Osgood shared the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltending duo on the team with the fewest goals against and share goaltending duties. Vernon and Osgood share goaltending duties during the 1996–97 season, but became the 13th player in NHL history to win 300 games. He reached the milestone on March 26, 1997, against the Colorado Avalanche in a game in which he also fought Colorado goaltender Patrick Roy. Head coach Scotty Bowman turned to the veteran Vernon as the team's starter in the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs after Osgood struggled late in the regular season. Mike recorded a 16–4 record with a 1.76 GAA in the post-season, and was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player of the playoffs as Detroit won its first Stanley Cup championship in 42 years. Placed in a position where the Red Wings had to trade a goaltender due to the waiver draft, Detroit chose kept him. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International Accolades Personal Life Mike was born in Calgary. His father, Martin worked in construction and was president of the South Calgary community hockey organization where a young Mike played his youth hockey. Mike attended Central Memorial High School and Henry Wise Wood Senior High School. He was always a goaltender, often joining his father for practices by the age of 4 and always focusing on the goaltenders. Mike considered his mother, Lorraine, his first coach and claimed his introduction to goaltending came from his family: "I had three brothers and when it came time to play hockey, they always said the same thing: 'Get Mikey, he’ll play net.'" Mike and his wife Jane were married three days after his 1994 trade to Detroit; they have four children: three sons (Matthew, John & William) and a daughter, Amelia. Following his hockey career, he has become involved in real estate development in the Windermere region near Invermere. He was also an investor in the Bear Mountain resort near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Category:1963 births Category:Calgary Flames draft picks Category:Calgary Flames players Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:San Jose Sharks players Category:Florida Panthers players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Canadian ice hockey goaltenders